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Review: RainCommander is a cool sprinkler unit but needs more features

By Andy Vuong The Denver Post

Posted:
05/12/2014 12:01:00 AM MDT

Updated:
05/12/2014 08:37:41 AM MDT

Mike Shupe demonstrates the RainCommander app, which allows users to remotely control their sprinkler systems. RainCommander was developed by Shoupe and his sister in law, Deb. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)

Get the latest updates and insights from the world of technology from Denver Post business writer Andy Vuong.

It's not quite that simple, but the entire installation took me about 20 minutes. I was surprised by just how easy it was to install from start to finish for someone who's tech-savvy but not exactly "Tim the Toolman" handy around the house.

The $249 RainCommander is about the size of a standard sprinkler control unit and can control up to 12 zones.

The most time-consuming aspect of the installation is replacing the old box with the RainCommander, which requires removing the wires to each of your zones and connecting them to the new unit.

ZBS co-founder Deb Shupe told me last week that one of the toughest part of creating the product was simplifying the process of connecting the RainCommander to a homeowner's wireless network.

"We wanted it to be very easy to install and very intuitive to connect to the Internet," Shupe said.

With a special Wi-Fi chip embedded into the unit, connecting the RainCommander to a wireless network is very similar to setting up Google's Chromecast video streaming device. It's a process that requires very little technical expertise.

After the unit is connected to the Internet, you can control your sprinklers via a Web browser or a mobile app, which is available for Android and iOS. Options include naming the zones, setting watering schedules and turning individual zones on or off.

The features are fairly limited at this point when compared to what's promised on the forthcoming unit from Denver-based Rachio, which will be able to automatically adjust watering cycles based on weather conditions.

Shupe said ZBS may incorporate a flow meter to allow the RainCommander app to display water usage. The company is also testing the ability to give access to certain zones to another account, a feature geared toward communities where the homeowners association is responsible for watering a resident's front yard but not their back.

As it is, the high-tech unit simply makes it more convenient to adjust watering schedules and allows homeowners to remotely turn off their sprinklers. The latter is especially handy because of Colorado's quickly changing weather. And controlling the sprinklers from your smartphone is fun to show off to friends and family, much like the Philips Hue wireless lighting system.

But are those features worth $249? Probably not.

ZBS offered early adopters a crack at the RainCommander for $159 on Kickstarter, a price that seems more fitting for the product, considering that Rachio's much smarter system will also carry a retail price of $249.

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